Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. milit.) to act lazily, to mess around instead of working; thus goofing off n. & adj.

1945		in T. Shibutani Derelicts of Company K (1978) 305: Their ‘goofing off’ days were over.
1956		Mad mag. Nov.–Dec. 41: Demonstrate four goofing-off activities, such as sleeping in the cellar.
1960		‘Lord Buckley’ Hiparama of the Classics 10: So the Naz and his Buddies was goofin’ off down the boulevard one day.
1979		E. Torres After Hours 196: The doctors said I was a malingerer [...] they meant I was goofin’ off.
1986		S. King It (1987) 243: We guh-guh-hoof off a lot.
1995		M. Dibdin Dark Spectre (1996) 6: You won’t play fair! [...] You’ll make me be it and then goof off somewhere I can’t find you!
2000		Guardian Guide 29 Jan.–4 Feb. 15: We goofed off and chewed it sometimes.
2010		A. Steinberg Running the Books 143: When he wasn’t playing [basketball] he’d goof off aggressively.
2020		(con. 1991-94) W. Boyle City of Margins 93: This wasn’t fatsos drinkng beer and goofing off.

2. to blunder; to wreck.

1939		Army and Navy Register (US) 18 Nov. 3/2: ‘Goof off,’ to make a mistake.
c.1943		‘Bill O. Lading’ You Chirped a Chinful!! n.p.: Goof Off: Mistake at drill.
1954		J.D. MacDonald All These Condemned (2001) 148: If I keep goofing off [...] I’m going to flub stuff, the way I messed up the timing yesterday meeting that train.
1965		J. Thompson Texas by the Tail (1994) 7: He’d goofed off a week’s careful finagling.

3. (also goof) to go mad.

1941		L.A. Times 23 Mar. B14: One thing draftees learn in the Army is a new language, as many will agree at this border post [...] ‘Goofing off’ means to go crazy.
1960		‘Lord Buckley’ Hiparama of the Classics 17: City Hall has flipped, and swung to a drunken zoo! / And all of you cats have goofed to wig city.

4. (US drugs) to go to sleep, esp. under the influence of drugs.

1949		‘Hal Ellson’ Duke 4: You goof off, feel tired, dopey.
1951–52		Kerouac Visions of Cody (1973) 121: You were all high [...] goofing off real high.
1952		‘Hal Ellson’ Golden Spike 3: He could have been goofing off with a load of stuff.

5. (US) to leave.

1955		S. Allen Bop Fables 4: Honey, you can sit the next set out in the back yard if you promise not to goof off and get lost.
1962		J. Quirk No Red Ribbons (1968) 89: Ain’t enough of you guys in the world that the rest of us can let you goof off.

6. to chat, to socialize.

1956		‘Hal Ellson’ ‘Cool Cat’ in Tell Them Nothing (1956) 89: Everybody’s goofing off in the back, having a gay time.
1972		Hall & Adelman Gentleman of Leisure 83: I’ll be sitting on the couch while he’s goofing off with some guys.

7. (US) to gain pleasure from, to be enthralled by.

1968

T. Wolfe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1969) 356: She’s goofing off the radio and puffing on this, I mean, Corona corona joint.

8. to turn down an invitation; to avoid a meeting.

1984

Totally True Diaries of an Eighties Roller Queen 🌐 7 Aug. Karey L was supposed to go with his friend to the show but she goofed off because she was supposed to get her head kicked in by Lori and Kim.